Timothy Busfield Faces 4 Child Sexual Abuse Charges After New Mexico Grand Jury Indictment

Actor Timothy Busfield faces four child sexual abuse charges after being indicted by a grand jury in New Mexico.

The indictment was announced by Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman on Friday, February 6.

“As with all criminal proceedings, Mr. Busfield is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law,” the district attorney said in a statement via Facebook. “This case will proceed through the judicial process and is expected to move forward to trial. The Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office remains committed to doing everything possible to protect children and ensure justice for victims."

The Albuquerque Police Department issued an arrest warrant for the actor on January 9, alleging that he had unlawful sexual contact with two 11-year-old boys, with one of the victims alleging the abuse began when he was just seven years old.

The parents claimed their children were child actors who met the Designated Survivor star on the set of the 2022 Fox series The Cleaning Lady, where he served as director.

Busfield turned himself into authorities on January 13, where he was charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse.

"The Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office intends to file a motion seeking to keep Mr. Busfield in custody while the case proceeds through the judicial process," the Bernalillo County District Attorney said in a statement that day. "A judge will then determine whether Busfield remains detained or is released pending trial. The District Attorney’s Office routinely files pretrial detention motions in cases involving these types of charges."

Busfield was hit with a second allegation, where he was accused of groping a 16-year-old girl while she was auditioning for a theater program in Sacramento, Calif., several years ago.

Busfield was released from custody on January 20 and continues to maintain his innocence following his indictment.

“The indictment was not unexpected,” his main lawyer, Larry Stein, told Deadline on February 6. "As the saying goes, a grand jury will indict a ham sandwich."

“What is deeply concerning is that the District Attorney is choosing to proceed on a case that is fundamentally unsound and cannot be proven at trial," the attorney continued. "The detention hearing exposed fatal weaknesses in the State’s evidence — gaps that no amount of charging decisions can cure. This prosecution appears driven by something other than the facts or the law. Mr. Busfield will fight these charges at every stage and looks forward to testing the State’s case in open court — where evidence matters — not behind closed doors.”